Question: At the conclusion of the Amidah, should the chazzan say “Yiyu leratzon imrei fi… – May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable before you, G-d, my Rock and Redeemer”?
Answer: The Rema (Orach Chayim 123:6) rules that he need not. After “Uva l’tziyon,” the chazzan will in any event say the words in Kaddish, “Titkabel tzelot’hon – May the prayers be accepted.” He therefore need not say “Yiyu leratzon,” which means the same thing.
The Shelah and the Vilna Gaon, however, rule that the chazzan should say “Yiyu leratzon.” The Mishnah Berurah (Orach Chayim 123:21) concurs. The Aruch HaShulchan (Orach Chayim 111:4) writes that the chazzan should say it silently (presumably because it is written in the singular).
Many congregations allow a second chazzan to replace the first chazzan before Ashrei, after the conclusion of the Amidah. In such instances, the first chazzan never says “Titkabel tzelot’hon” after “Uva l’tziyon.” Thus, even according to the Rema, he would have to say “Yiyu leratzon.”
Rabbi Cohen, a Jerusalem Prize recipient, has authored several works on Jewish law. His latest is “Jewish Prayer The Right Way: Resolving Halachic Dilemmas,” available at Amazon .com and Judaica stores.
